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Really useful snacks and ideal breakfast subsitutes

My family tries to eat healthily so we tend to shop in Holland and Barrett quite a lot. They often have sales on, eg buy one get one half price, which is when I try to stock up on good quality 'health foods' such as oatcakes.

I first tried Nairn's Organic Oatcakes at a friend's house. She used to eat them as mini pizzas with cheese and herbs on top, grilled for a couple of minutes and served with a dollop of ketchup. This may sound wacky but I tried the combination and somehow it really worked, and was also quite filling as the oatcakes are full of - you guessed it - oats! Seriously though, some products do not contain as much of the main ingredient as you might expect, but these oatcakes do.

I have since tried the other oatcake varieties, but I found the milled ones and rough ones too dry so I stick to the organic ones now.

A major plus for me with this products has been the fact that my little girl, aged 1 year, loves them. She won't eat anything with a 'slimy' texture like porridge, but if you hand her an oatcake at breakfast she will happily break it into small pieces and feet herself piece by piece. I also add coconut oil to the oat cakes or sometimes just a bit of spread, for added nutrition. Really though I don't think she could pick a healthier way to start the day! This is also why we buy the organic oatcakes, because we try to limit the number of chemicals/additives/nasties found in non-organic foods as they can impact the health of small children.

My only hang up about this product is that it contains palm oil, but since my little girl loves the oatcakes I have made an exception with them here. I have also written to Nairn's asking them not to source palm oil at all, as Greenpeace recently found that some of the major investors in 'sustainable' palm oil sourcing were putting for more money into the palm oil that causes major deforestation. 'Greenwash', is the apt word here. Because of this I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5 - I don't like it when brands twist the truth, personally.

Oatcakes are great as a quick snack because they keep well and take up hardly any space in your bag- I always keep a packet on me in case we get hungry when we're out. Inside the box, they come in handy wrapped packets of 6. I sometimes eat them with sliced banana on top or with hummus or marmite, as they have a mild flavour and therefore go well with various food combinations. My personal favourite though is whenever we go away or we go camping, and we can't take our usual cereals with us. Oatcakes are fantastic in the mornings with a cup of tea, and a great way to get started too as oats are bursting with vitamins and good fibre and therefore general oaty goodness.

They are also well priced at 89p per box. I defy you not to find a way to introduce them to your diet! You'll be pleased once you do, as they are filling and healthy. And who knows, you may discover your own wacky food combinations to go with them!

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Not an exciting food!

I bought Nairn's Organic Rough Oatmeal Oatcakes one day by accident - I was in a hurry and I was going for the herb and pumpkin seed ones, but mistakenly picked up these ones. However, I am a big fan of many flavours of Nairn's oatcakes so I was happy to give them a try.

They were bland. I am normally a massive fan of oats, I have porridge for breakfast every single morning, but all I can say about these is that they were bland and coarse. They were flavourless. They weren't enjoyable to eat - I couldn't finish them because they were so boring, and I was hungry. The texture was much rougher than the texture of their other oatcakes (although it was more similar to the herb and pumpkin seed ones than it was to any others) and they were just not interesting. They didn't necessarily taste bad (they didn't taste of anything, but I wouldn't buy them again and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. If you want some oatcakes, get the herb and pumpkin seed ones, or the mixed berries ones, but don't get these!

Having said that, I do tend to eat oatcakes on their own, so they are quite possibly ideal if you are going to put something on them (I haven't tried though, so maybe not!). But if, like me, you are inclined to munch away at oatcake after oatcake, these are not what you want.

For the non-oatcake-addicts out there, Nairn's oatcakes come in boxes with four little bags of five oatcakes each (very convenient for taking with you to university or work) and all the packaging is recyclable. They are healthy and don't have any weird ingredients, and are suitable for vegans.

Because they don't necessarily taste bad, and may be compatible with other foods, I won't be too harsh and I will give these a 2 star rating. But I wouldn't recommend them!

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Fairly healthy snack option

Oatcakes aren't exactly the most exciting of foods - probably because their flavour is quite mild, and they need something else on them in order to create a worthwhile snack. Personally, I didn't like oatcakes until recently, and even now I'm not a massive fan - however, I do find them moderately tasty when topped with some butter and a nice slab of Cheddar. My last oatcake review was for the Tesco variety, so today it's the turn of the popular Nairn's Organic. Legend has it that Scottish Oatcakes were the reason why 14th Century Scottish soldiers were able to march longer than other men, but I'm afraid this isn't a claim I can test in this particular review.

The Nairn oatcakes share a strong similarity to the Tesco alternative, although they have the added 'benefit' of using organic ingredients - but is this something which affects the flavour? Price-wise, the 250g box of oatcakes can be picked up for 89p, which happens to be exactly the same price as the Tesco variety - it's great to see an organic product which is available for such a reasonable price. Inside the white and greet tartan topped box there are six cellophane packets, each containing four of the oatcakes.

Flavour - - - - - Tasting a bit like a dry bowl of porridge or an unsweetened digestive (not the tastiest sounding description!) the flavour is pleasant enough but a little bland. However, add some cottage cheese, cream cheese, or even coleslaw, and the taste really comes alive. A nice soft topping contrasts beautifully with the oatcake's crunchiness, and the end result is an ultimately pleasing snack.

*Although palm oil is a controversial ingredient (due to the deforestation of areas to create ecologically unfriendly Palm fields) Nairn's use sustainable Palm Oil reserves from an eco-friendly source.

Final Word - - - - - - - Overall, Nairn's Organic Oatcakes represent a healthy and versatile alternative to cream crackers, and make for a sophisticated after dinner offering with cheese and biscuits. Price-wise I have no complaints, especially considering this brand is the same as the non-organic Tesco alternative. Recommended.

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A versatile snack

I was on the lookout for quick, tasty, (relatively) healthy foods in my local Tesco and spied these Nairn's Organic Oatcakes. I vaguely remembered having them before and enjoying them, so felt that I would like to try them again, especially for the bargain price of 93p. I didn't specifically choose the Organic variety, but these were all that Tesco had, so I picked them up although I would have been just as happy with non-organic oatcakes.

The box for these oatcakes is white with green edging and a green 'N' for Nairn's - this is tartan-patterned, presumably to reinforce the Scottish connection! The front of the box says that these oatcakes are low GI, with no added sugar and a wheat-free recipe. This doesn't apply to me so much, but anyone on a wheat-free diet might be pleased by this information.

The back of the pack says that the oatcakes contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, no hydrogenated fat, are high in fibre, suitable for vegans and contain no GM ingredients. The ingredients are few: organic wholegrain oats (89%), organic sunflower oil, organic palm fruit oil, sea salt and sodium bicarbonate as a raising agent. So far so good - I was beginning to be quite proud of my choice! After shopping at Lush I am aware of the problems in using palm oil, so I am pleased to learn from the packet that their palm fruit oil supplier is a founder member of the 'Roundtable for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil'.

One side of the pack tells the reader a little about oats, while the other offers serving suggestions, including with natural yoghurt and fruit compote for breakfast, with houmous for a quick snack, and in a lunchbox as a sandwich alternative. Of course, these are only suggestions - these oatcakes are very versatile!

One pack contains 250g (8oz) of product, which equates to four individually-wrapped packs of 6 oatcakes. I didn't realise they were packaged like this until I opened the box, but it's a great idea as it means they won't go stale, and you can take an individual pack to work with you.

These oatcakes taste delicious. They are crunchy to bite into but then become chewy. You really feel like you are eating something proper, not a cardboard-like health food! They taste, well, 'oaty', but slightly salty (not too much though). They aren't bland, but they are mild enough to go really well with lots of different foods. I especially enjoy them with Philadelphia cheese, cottage cheese and houmous but you are really only limited by your imagination!

I can't believe I haven't bought these for so long. They are really delicious and versatile, easy to pop in your bag for a quick lunch (and much quicker and easier than making a sandwich) and are comparatively healthy, as well as being relatively cheap. I fully intend to carry on purchasing them while I'm a student, but I really must remember them when I finally get a job and don't have the time to make a packed lunch every day!

One oatcake contains 43 calories and 1.7g of fat, which is higher than a Ryvita but much more tasty!

For allergy sufferers: The oatcakes contain gluten; the recipe and factory are nut free but Nairn's cannot guarantee their ingredients are nut free. The oatcakes are manufactured on equipment that handles milk.

The website is at www.nairns-oatcakes.com, if you would like to find out more.

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You can't go wrong with these lovely oat cakes

I first started eating oatcakes instead of bread a couple of years ago in an attempt to cut down the amount of wheat I was consuming. I find when I eat much wheat I tend to put on weight which I would prefer not to do if I can help it. At the same time I know that adding more oats to my diet can't be a bad thing as they are so good for you and help lower cholesterol. All of these came together so that I decided that I would eat my cheese, hummous, and other relevent tasty treats with oatcakes.

Nairn's Organic Oatcakes are made from 89% oats and don't contain any wheat whatsoever, unlike some other brands of oatcakes that are mixed with wheat. They do contain 48 calories per oatcake which sems rather a lot, but perhaps this is down to the fact that in addition to the oats they contain sunflower and palm oils, along with a bit of salt and sodium bicarbonate.

I prefer to buy organic products where possible because I don't like the effect that agricultural chemicals are having on our groundwater, and also, to a lesser extent, because I believe that organic products are probably marginally better for our health. The sunflower oil, palm fruit oil, and of course the oats this product is made from are all organic.

The oat cakes come wrapped in plastic in packages of 6 (you get four packages in a box for a total of 24 oatcakes) which are perfect for a lunch box. If you don't eat them all in one go they will still stay nice and crispy even if you leave them in your desk for a few days.

These oat cakes are crispy and crumbly and have a very pleasant texture. They taste wholesome and oaty and slightly salty but don't have a very strong flavour which helps the flavour of the topping to shine through. They can be used to scrape up hummous or even cream cheese if you're careful as they are thick enough that they don't usually break.

You can buy these oat cakes for 89p from Tesco for 250 grams which I think is a great value for an organic product.

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Tasty oatcake

Sometimes I get really sick of bread and try to branch out. This is where oatcakes come in. Nairn's organic oatcakes (rough oatmeal) are a staple in my bread-alternative cupboard. These oatcakes have been certified as organic, have no GM ingredients, and are baked in Edinburgh, Scotland. They can be bought at most supermarkets for just under £1.

The packaging:They have a white and green tartan (they are Scottish after all) cardboard box as outer packaging, which is recyclable. Inside, there are 4 individually clear plastic-wrapped puoches containing 6 oatcakes each. The outer packaging gives some helpful recipe suggestions, and information on oats and the company.

The oatcake:Oatcakes are not known for their looks. Each oatcake is about 2.5 inches in diameter and pretty much looks like recycled brown cardboard with little bits of grain everywhere. The outer edges are slightly browner.

They are very tasty, and I find them very moorish. I would describe them as having a slightly nutty flavour, but basically tastes like all oatcakes (i.e. like oats!). They do not have a very salty taste. They are not very crunchy, and tend to leave a lot of crumbs everywhere. They are also quite dry, so if you are having these on their own, make sure you have some liquid to wash them down with otherwise you'll be stuck with a big mash of oatcakes on the roof of your mouth J

Nutritional info:Nairn's oatcakes are high in fibre, suitable for vegans and contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They are low GI (Glycaemic index) which means they release their energy slowly, leaving you fuller for longer. They are wheat free, but do contain gluten.

Per oatcake there is 43 kcal, 1.1g protein, 6g carbohydrate of which 0.1g is sugar, 1.7g fat of which 0.5g is saturated, 0.8g fibre and 0.1g salt.

This means per pack of 6 you will be getting 258 kcal, 6.6g protein and 10.2g fat. So in terms of healthiness - there may be a bit of fat in them, but otherwise they are packed with nutritious wholegrains and lots of fibre.

Overall:I love these as a bread alternative. They are just an honest, plain and wholesome food. I think they go especially well with peanut butter, but they are so versatile you can have them with just about anything! In my opinion, they do keep you fuller for longer than bread would, especially when teamed with another low-fat spread such as hummus or peanut butter. And as they are organic, you can be assured that they are grown with minimal additional chemicals.